Dangan Ronpa Stuck
by flipomatic
Summary: When Karkat Vantas won the lottery to attend Sburb Academy, he thought life was finally working in his favor. He would soon realize exactly how wrong he was. Karkat quickly discovered the school life of mutual killing was not conducive to learning, and was probably going to get him killed. His luck couldn't get any worse.
1. Prologue and Character Profiles

Author Note: So this is my story for NaNoWriMo this year, which officially began today. I'm actually really excited.

* * *

Doc Scratch stared down at the strange note shoved under his door, wondering who could have possibly left it there. He pulled the door open, but the hallway was empty. The placard naming him principal of the academy still sat gleaming on his door.

After casting a glance in both directions, Doc Scratch picked up the slip of paper. It only took a moment for him to unfold and read it. It said 'Come to the basement. We need to talk.'

He considered it for a moment; it was summer vacation so all of the students were gone. The only faculty members in the building were two janitors who kept the dust from settling in, and himself. He highly doubted either of them left the note.

It had to be an intruder, and Doc Scratch had no patience for trespassers. He straightened his dark green suit, closed the office door, and locked it behind him. The stairs to the basement weren't far, and it didn't take him long to reach his destination.

The basement of Sburb Academy was an unusual space. It functioned as one room and covered the entire school grounds, standing much taller than most underground spaces. Most of the time it was used for storing school supplies and furniture.

When Doc Scratch pushed open the door, the first thing he noticed was all the boxes shoved to one side of the room. The second thing he noticed was a small black and white bear standing in the center of the room. It's right side was completely white with a vertical line dividing it from the black side. At only two feet tall the bear shouldn't have been intimidating, but something about its half red glare put Doc Scratch on edge.

The bear stared up at him, raising its hands up to its mouth as if to cover a laugh. Doc Scratch hurried towards it, covering the distance with long strides. It might have been the strangest trespasser he'd ever seen, but he still had to deal with it.

He didn't notice the truck.

Behind the boxes, tucked against the wall, sat a black semi-truck. When Doc Scratch started walking, the truck shifted. It ran over a few of the boxes, aiming itself towards the moving target. It rolled into action, building up a bit of speed before meeting its objective. The truck driver couldn't even be bothered to honk.

Doc Scratch didn't even see it coming. It smashed right into his side, knocking him down to the concrete. A sickening crack rang out as the truck passed over his body, coming to a stop with him still underneath. He stretched one hand towards the bear, but was unable to reach it. His arm collapsed to the ground, never to move again.

The sides of the truck unfolded, revealing a sheet of polka dotted fabric. It exploded outward with a pneumatic hiss, expanding into a giant tent. Once it settled into place, the bicolored bear jumped up to the top. It perched right in the center of the tent with both arms spread wide.

"Upupupupu"

* * *

John Egbert: Super High School Level Pianist. A young boy who started playing piano at the age of three, John Egbert has performed on stages across the globe. He is considered a master of the piano. Despite his musical success, he remains a humble and friendly guy. In his free time, he enjoys pranking his father. In his free time he enjoys pranking his father, and his prankster's gambit is currently a few ticks in his favor. He hopes to make some new friends at Sburb Academy and maybe learn to play a new instrument.

Rose Lalonde: Super High School Level Author. Rose Lalonde published her novel, Complacency of the Learned, at the age of 9. It received international acclaim and avid fans still hope for a sequel. The author herself has given no inclination of this occurring, and instead spends her time taking attempting to clone her cat and reading occult fiction. She initially planned to decline the invitation to attend Sburb Academy, but after a long passive aggressive battle with her mother she accepted her enrollment. She still hopes to get out of it somehow, but the chances are slim.

Dave Strider: Super High School Level DJ. Hailing from Texas, Dave Strider started mixing music at a young age. A few of his songs hit it big and still play on the radio today. Dave is never seen without his shades, a legacy he inherited from his Bro. Many have tried to see past these protective lenses, but all have failed. He is also interested in video games and likes to DJ at local clubs.

Jade Harley: Super High School Level Scientist. Having spent her entire life on an obscure island, this will be Jade Harley's first time at an actual school. Despite her lack of public schooling, she is anything but uneducated. Her grandfather, an acclaimed scientist in his own right, taught her everything he knows. Jade was credited with the discovery of a new molecule at the age of ten, and continues to do extensive research on molecular structures.

Aradia Megido: Super High School Level Archeologist. This pale skinned teenager spent most of her life underground digging for fossils. Her largest find so far was fragments of a dinosaur skeleton that don't match up with any of the other samples so far. Though Aradia enjoys adventure and playing role playing games with her friends, she would have preferred to keep digging than going to high school.

Tavros Nitram: Super High School Level Animal Trainer. A rather meek boy, Tavros Nitram only truly feels comfortable when he's with his animals. He has trained cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and many other different species; leading his animals to victory in international competitions. He will be allowed to bring one animal to school, despite general school policy forbidding pets on school grounds. It is unknown which animal he will bring, but it is certain that it will be well trained.

Sollux Captor: Super High School Level Hacker. Infamous for hacking the land rover on Mars, Sollux Captor was recently released from juvenile detention in order to attend Sburb Academy. He has a tendency to hack into every computer he can get his hands on, and has amassed an enormous file full of viruses. The principal has been instructed not to let him near any electronics during his time at the school.

Karkat Vantas: Super High School Level Good Luck. An average suburban boy from an average suburban family, Karkat Vantas is only attending Sburb Academy because of his superb luck. He managed to win a drawing held in the entire country, picking one student out of hundreds of thousands. When he won, he spent all of ten minutes feeling happy about it before returning to his standard state of constant irritation.

Nepeta Leijon: Super High School Level Roleplayer. A young girl who spent her days pretending to be anyone but herself, Nepeta Lejion mastered the art of imitation at a young age. She has hundreds of different imitations in her repertoire, and can present them all flawlessly. She recently performed in Las Vegas for a sold out crowd. She remains a playful child and someday hopes to become a cat. If becoming a cat fails, she would like to be an actress.

Kanaya Maryam: Super High School Level Fashion Designer. As the only new Sburb Academy student from England, Kanaya Maryam will spend her high school years far from home. Hopefully she will take comfort in the fact that her popular clothing line will be sold in stores around her. The new fashion style she created has been very popular with teenagers, and many wait for her next work with bated breath. She aspires to discover different types of fashion during her time in America.

Terezi Pyrope: Super High School Level Law. After her vast success as a prosecuting attorney in junior court, Terezi Pyrope considered skipping high school and going straight to university. She abandoned this idea when Sburb Academy invited her to attend their school, deciding her talents could be put to better use if she waited. She faces strong prejudice for being blind from birth, but makes sure to drub any nay-sayers with her cane while cackling in their faces.

Vriska Serket: Super High School Level Gamer. Unlike other teenagers her age, Vriska Serket spent her time not playing video games, but table top games. She dominated all other players, always managing to get the rolls she needed to win. However, her gloating attitude didn't make her any friends. She was reported saying that in her time at Sburb Academy she would like to find a rival worthy of destroying. She followed up by saying that if that fails, it would be nice to make at least one friend.

Equius Zahhak: Super High School Level Mechanic. With the right set of tools Equius Zahhak could build just about anything. He recently constructed a more efficient prosthetic arm which is being utilized in hospitals around the country. He also built his own car along with many other contraptions. Despite his finesse with mechanical parts, he is extremely strong and takes pride in being able to carry twice his weight on his back. His favorite beverage is milk, and he will be bringing a gallon of it to the academy just in case.

Gamzee Makara: Super High School Level Clown. After being abandoned by his birth parents at a young age, Gamzee Makara found himself a new family in a group of circus clowns. They raised him, and as they raised him they taught him all aspects of clown life. He learned how to pile into a clown car without suffocating and how to put his makeup on without smearing it. At Sburb academy, he would like to teach others the best way to slam a faygo.

Eridan Ampora: Super High School Level Marksman. After his success as the youngest member of the United States Olympic marksman team, Eridan Ampora decided to go back to school. Actually, his parents forced him to go back to school, insisting that he at least graduate from high school. They let him choose which school to attend, and when Sburb Academy invited him to attend, he jumped on the chance. After a brief argument with the principal over school policy, he will not be allowed to bring his guns to campus.

Feferi Peixes: Super High School Level Heiress. As the sole heiress to the Betty Crocker Corporation, Feferi Peixes stands to inherit the entire company. She doesn't like to brag about it and often refrains from telling people until they notice for themselves. Outside of being an heiress, she spends her time volunteering at multiple non-profit organizations, most commonly ones that help abandoned or injured animals.

Doc Scratch: Having been the principal of Sburb Academy for the last ten years, Doc Scratch fully controls every aspect of the school. He even hand picks the new students every year, combing through thousands of potential candidates. In his second year as principal, he implemented the Super High School Level Good Luck raffle in order to bring publicity to the school.

* * *

End Note: Thanks for reading, intro chapter coming soon.


	2. Introduction

Author Note: Time to get the ball rolling. This chapter's probably a little longer than most of them will be.

* * *

When Karkat's dad handed him the envelope, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was absolutely no way Sburb Academy would send him a letter. Maybe it came to the wrong house, or was just a letter to laugh at his face. But it had his name on the outside, so he opened it.

The letter inside briefly stated that he won the country wide raffle and was invited to attend Sburb in the fall. It prompted him to call the school and tell them as soon as possible, which wouldn't be a problem for Karkat. His public school district was one of the poorest ones in the state, and Sburb was touted as the best school in the country. It was an easy choice to make.

But that didn't mean he wasn't a little bitter about it. He had been looking forward to going to high school with the same friends he had since elementary school, but by going to Sburb he would leave them all behind. But if going to this school would give him a chance at a future, it would be worth it.

He called in and told the administration yes, albeit in a slightly angry tone, and started getting ready to attend this new school. The person he spoke to over the phone told him that since he won the lottery, he would be given the title Super High School Level Good Luck.

Good luck was a pretty decent thing to have, but Karkat didn't put a lot of stock in it. This was, after all, the first stroke of good luck in his entire life, or so he'd say.

He knew, as the lottery winner, the other students would probably have an edge over him. After all, they were chosen for the school talents more apparent than simple good luck. Karkat actually did a little research on his classmates, though he only could find limited information about most of them. One or two didn't have any information about them at all.

He learned that Jade Harley discovered a new molecule and Terezi Pyrope could have skipped high school and gone straight to college, but couldn't find anything about Gamzee Makara other than his name. The one familiar name on the list was someone he hadn't seen in years; so long that they probably forgot him. Overall, they looked like an intimidating bunch.

He already hated them.

Time passed, and the weather grew colder once again. Freshmen had to report to school a whole week before the other students, so Karkat found himself standing in front of the gate and ogling at the sheer craftsmanship of the school. The building towered over him, much more regal and majestic than any school he had seen before.

Karkat gulped once before pushing the gate open. He had to be in the gym by eight for opening ceremonies, and if he didn't get going he would be late. As he entered the main building he failed to notice a shadow lurking by the door. It leapt after him, taking refuge in shadows every few feet.

As Karkat looked around the entrance hall with wonder, the shadow reached him from behind. He was about to curse confusing building layouts when the shadow struck. It knocked Karkat in the back of the head with something blunt, and everything went black.

When he came to, he was no longer in the entrance hall. In fact, he didn't know where he was at all. Somebody had sat him at a desk in what appeared to be a standard classroom. The only aspect that seemed out of place were large steel plates covering up all the windows.

As soon as his head was clear, he stood up abruptly. He didn't feel dizzy, so there probably wasn't any permanent brain damage. If he ever got his hands on whoever hit him though.

"When I find that shit-stain." Karkat muttered under his breath. "Gonna beat the shit out of 'im" He gave the steel panels a long look, briefly wondering why they were there. After weaving his way away from the desk, he tried to pry a panel from the window. Even with his full strength, it wouldn't budge.

When he looked back at the front of the room, he realized what time it was. A small clock sat over the board in the front, and it read exactly eight o-clock. He was already late for school, and it hadn't even started yet. Karkat shoved a desk to the side to get to the door.

It led out into a hallway, one with nothing terribly peculiar about it. All of the cameras on the ceiling didn't surprise him; this was a fancy private school after all. He stumbled down the hallway, searching for the gym despite not even knowing for sure if he was still in the school. But he didn't think he'd been out for long, and it would take a while to move him somewhere. Anyway, whoever moved him would risk him waking up if they tried to move him very far.

It turned out he was right, and after only a little trial and error he found the gym. It was a large room with a stage in the front. A podium sat up on the stage, waiting for the proceedings to start.

Karkat truly was late, and the rest of the students in his class had already gathered.

The teenagers stood scattered around the room, mostly ignoring each other's presence. A handful glanced over at Karkat when he entered, though only one spoke up.

"Late on the first day." The girl with the cane and red glasses giggled. "Not off to a good start." She brandished her cane in Karkat's direction, and he bristled with anger.

"Shut up!" He snapped back. "I would've been on time if it wasn't for the asshole that attacked me!"

"They attacked you too?" A young boy with rectangular glasses and a slime ghost t-shirt asked, moving to stand between Karkat and cane girl.

"I thought we already established that." Another girl drawled. She stood taller than the other girl and wore only the color blue. "Everybody was attacked in the entrance hall and dumped into one of the classrooms."

"But maybe his story is different." Rectangle glasses rebutted, sounding wounded by blue girls opposition.

"I highly doubt it." A fashionably dressed teen interrupted their argument. "What are the odds that only one of our stories would be different?"

"1 out of 16, to be precise." A guy with a nasally voice, who reminded Karkat of a bumblebee, interjected, smirking at the rest of the group.

"Ha ha very funny." Rectangle glasses rolled his eyes, and Karkat realized that even though he looked these people up online, he had no idea which name went with which person. But he couldn't ask them to introduce themselves; they would think he was a failure. Another member off the group seemed to pick up on his distress.

"Hey, do you guys think we should re-introduce ourselves to him?" A girl with round glasses and buckteeth asked, smiling around at the others.

"I guess we probably should." Rectangle glasses shrugged. Blue girl scoffed, but didn't say anything. Since rectangle glasses had been so helpful, Karkat decided to talk to him first. He moved around the room, introducing himself to all the other students.

"I'm John Egbert," he said. "Nice to meet you." Other than John's rectangle glasses, there wasn't much defining about him. He had short hair and teeth that could probably use a couple years of braces, along with a wind symbol on his T-shirt. He shook Karkat's hand vigorously, much more enthusiastically than Karkat was used to. He withdrew hastily, uncomfortable with the personal contact.

"Rose Lalonde, pleasure." The blonde teen favored a gothic style, and she looked at Karkat as if saying if he tried to shake her hand like John did, she would kill him. He glared right back, introducing himself with the appropriate level of scorn.

"The name's Dave." Clearly this kid thought he was incredibly cool. With his arms crossed over his chest and sunglasses obstructing his eyes, everything about this boy screamed aloof. Karkat only dreamed about having that much cool. He also dreamed about punching that much cool's lights out.

"I'm Jade Harley and it's really nice to meet you!" Karkat recoiled away as Jade hugged him. She was surprisingly strong despite her slender frame; he was barely able to pull away. Her glasses stood out as perfect circles, needlessly large upon her face.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Aradia. It's been a long time so you've probably forgotten." Aradia shifted her gaze away, and Karkat pondered her for a moment. She didn't seem particularly distinct, but the fedora on her head struck a chord. They'd met before, though it had been many years since then. Aradia spent some time in late elementary school traveling around and trying to recruit other children to archeology. One of her stops was at Karkat's school, and he nearly ditched school to join her hunt. But it didn't work out, and she moved on. Figuring this wasn't the right place to bring it up; he told her they could talk about it later.

"I-It's nice to meet you, my name's Tavros Nitram." As the smallest member of the group, Tavros shrank under Karkat's glare. For someone so timid, a side-swept Mohawk was a bold hairstyle to go with. Tavros kept looking around the room nervously, taking extra moments to stare at blue girl.

"I'm Sollux Captor, hacker extraordinaire." The gangly teen waggled his eyebrows smugly at Karkat as if he expected him to be impressed. He wore odd multi-colored glasses that reminded Karkat of old 3-d movies. Karkat flicked him off.

"My name's Nepeta Leijon, but you can call me Nep." Nepeta smiled brightly up at Karkat, but he was unaffected by her cuteness. He also ignored her fake cat ears, deciding in that moment that he would never call her Nep.

"I am Kanaya Maryam, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Kanaya wore some fashion style Karkat had never seen before, though that wasn't saying much. Her short haircut also matched the current styles, and looked oddly similar to Karkat's favorite cut. He didn't mention it, but instead pretended it didn't exist.

"The real question is, who are you?" Cane girl flashed shark like teeth in Karkat's direction, meeting his angry stare. He promptly told her it was none of her fucking business, to which she replied, "Fair enough. My name's Terezi Pyrope, junior attorney at law." Karkat almost told her to fuck off, but restrained himself.

"I'm Vriska Serket, not an attorney at law." Blue girl, now Vriska, crossed her arms over her chest as if daring Karkat to argue. Her ripped blue jeans and t-shirt let off an overall laid back look, along with a little bit of gangster attitude. She glared with almost as much anger as him, barely below his level of scorn.

"I go by Equius Zahhak, and I look forward to forming a Strong bond with you." Easily the largest member of the freshmen class, Equius towered over Karkat. The muscles in his arms were nearly the size of Karkat's head, and a few beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Strangely, he said the word 'strong' as the loudest word in the sentence. Karkat actually jumped a bit, startled by the odd inflection.

"Hey bro, the name's Gamzee Makara." His face was painted a shade of off white, with red paint covering his nose. Each word was spoken at a different volume, giving his speech an almost surreal quality. He reminded Karkat of the stoners who lived down the street from him, though he decided to refrain judgment for the time being.

"I am Eridan Ampora, it's good to meet you." Eridan inexplicably reminded Karkat of Harry Potter; he didn't have the glasses but he did have one stripe of purple hair in the shape of a lightning bolt. His hands twitched every once in a while, as if reaching for something that wasn't there.

"My name is Feferi Peixes, and I'm so excited to meet you!" Feferi shook Karkat's hand enthusiastically, cutting of all blood flow. Her smile fit her face as if was meant to be there and it was rather contagious. Karkat fought the urge to smile back, managing a grimace.

Karkat looked around at all the people he just met, trying desperately to commit all their names and faces to memory. The group broke off into side conversations after introducing themselves, and Karkat was merely an observer in these encounters. He skirted around the edge of the group, unsure of what they actually were supposed to do. He didn't have to wait long.

Something in the front of the gym leapt up onto a podium, drawing the attention of all the teens present. A small bear balanced on the small wooden space, glancing over the group. One side of the bear was black, while the other side was completely white. It reminded Karkat of a chessboard, though he was more concerned about how a fake bear could be moving.

"Is that a stuffed animal?" Nepeta stepped towards the stage with one hand out reached. When the bear shook its head, she quickly retreated. "Eep!"

"I am a bear!" It insisted. "Actually, I'm Monokuma, the headmaster of this school."

"Did that bear just talk?" John ogled at Monokuma, his jaw hanging open. A few others mirrored the pose, unable to believe their eyes.

"I've never seen a talking bear before." Tavros mused out loud.

"It's probably mechanical." Equius's eyes gleamed as he pulled a wrench out from nowhere. "I could dismantle it, if you want."

"Maybe it's some kind of toy." Jade tilted her head, raising her hand to her chin in a thinkers pose.

"Ahem." Monokuma cleared his throat. "There will be no dismantling; violence against the headmaster is against the rules, and I am not a toy! Please quiet down."

"Don't take apart the cute bear!" Nepeta scolded Equius, stalking over to where he stood. "You should leave it alone."

"Don't you want to know how it works?" Equius flourished his wrench again, and Nepeta snatched it from his grasp.

"No!" She put her hands on her hips, keeping the wrench away from him.

"I have to agree with the mechanic. I wonder what makes it tick." Sollux pushed his glasses up his nose, edging towards the stage.

"Ahem." Monokuma coughed a little louder this time. "Please be quiet."

"Oh, he wants to speak, how cute." Terezi chortled, smacking her cane against the ground.

"Please…" Monokuma tried again, falling silent after only one word.

"I think he gave up." Dave said with a completely straight face.

A moment of silence passed.

"Enough! Listen up kids!" Monokuma waved his arms around, demanding attention and control. "It's time for the opening ceremony. You are all the beacons of hope spread across our great land. In order to preserve that hope, you will all live here permanently in a communal lifestyle."

"What?" Karkat couldn't believe his ears. A permanent communal lifestyle? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

"You will spend the rest of your lives in this academy." Monokuma crossed his arms, nodding at the students.

"There's no way." Feferi interjected, her eyes wide with surprise. "We can't stay here for life!"

"You can and you will." Monokuma wiggled around in a cute dance. "That is, unless you graduate."

"Which is in four years, and certainly not indefinitely." Terezi quipped, hiding her confusion.

"High school is only four years?" Kanaya could not cover up her confusion, being unfamiliar with the American school system.

"Graduation works differently at this school. In order to graduate you must break the order, and the only way to do that is to murder another student. Upupupu" Monokuma laughed gleefully.

"This is a fucking joke!" Karkat swore loudly, shaking one fist at the bear. "You can't keep us here! And you can't force us to kill each other!"

The bear's eyes glinted in the light. "You will find that I can."

"This is bullshit, I'm leaving." Eridan spun around, heading for the door.

"You can try, but there's no way out. The only way is to graduate." Monokuma spun around in a circle, chuckling again.

"We're not murderers." Jade shook her head. "And we never will be!"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Monokuma's eyes caught the light eerily.

A chill ran down Karkat's spine as he looked around at the other students. Could he bring himself to kill one of them? He didn't think so. But could one of them kill him? He didn't believe so at first, but now he wasn't sure. Each one seemed like a threat, gazing around as if trying to decide who to kill first.

"Upupupu what delicious despair." Monokuma hugged his own body. "The feeling as it seeps into your soul, as it permeates your hope filled lives. The excitement it brings."

"B-but why?" Tavros stuttered. "Why are you doing this?"

"It must be a prank." John asserted, a little color coming back to his face. "There's no way this is happening."

"A prank?" Monokuma swept his arms out. "I promise you this is no prank. This is your home now, you whole world. There is no prank, and no escape. The only way out is to kill."

"This is motherfucking crazy." Gamzee droned, nearly falling over with the effort to speak.

Monokuma ignored him. "To welcome you to the academy, I will be giving you these wonderful presents." A stack of what seemed to be plastic cards appeared in his hands. "These are student identification cards, otherwise known as an electronic ID card. They list your name, contain maps of the school, have a list of all the school rules, and are completely indestructible. Make sure you read the school rules; there are severe punishments for all rule breakers." None of the kids had anything to cut in with, so the bear kept talking. "With that, the opening ceremony is finished. Enjoy your school life of mutual killing."

With that ominous last message, Monokuma left the cards on the stage and vanished from sight. A tense silence dominated the room, weighing down on the students. Karkat grabbed his card from the pile, pocketing it for later use.

"So what now?" Rose asked hesitatingly. It took a moment for anybody to reply.

"We should look for a way out." Dave replied, his expression unchanged despite the emotional upheaval he must have been feeling. "There has to be a way out."

"Perhaps." Kanaya looked sick to her stomach. "The bear seemed pretty serious to me."

"About the killing thing too?" Tavros looked even sicker than Kanaya did. "I-I would never."

"Maybe you wouldn't, but how do we know nobody will." Vriska crossed her arms, once again oozing irritation. Her sentiment was one Karkat shared, and his whole body felt cold at her words. He just met most of these people; how could he trust them not to kill him? The answer; he couldn't. Despair set into his bones, a darker despair than he ever felt in his short life.

He was supposed to have Super High School Level Good Luck, but this was more like Super High School Level Bad Luck instead.

* * *

End Note: Thanks for reading, if you want to make any comments or guesses, feel free to leave a review.


	3. Chapter One (Ab)Normal Days Part One

Author Note: Here's the next part, enjoy.

* * *

"Fuck this shit!" Karkat shouted turning his back on all the other students. He was going to find a way out of there, even if it killed him. One of the students shouted after him, but Karkat ignored them. He stormed out of the trophy room and into the hallway, barreling away from the gym. He punched one of the steel paneled windows in a fit of anger, but only managed to bruise his knuckles.

He stopped to nurse the wound, leaning against the wall. After emitting a few swear words, he forced himself to calm down a bit. If the bruise was any indication, raging would only hurt him more. He pulled the electronic ID card out of his pocket, deciding that he should take a moment to check it out.

The interface had his name on it, and when he tapped it a menu popped up. There were three options: maps, school rules, and Monokuma files. Karkat had no idea what a Monokuma file was, so he ignored that choice. The maps were largely unhelpful, since they were only labeled with vague pictures. The rules, on the other hand, were very explicit. They read:

1. Students will live a communal lifestyle with no time limit inside the school walls.  
2. The time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night Time". During Night Time there are places that are forbidden to enter, so please take care.  
3. Sleeping is only permitted in the personal rooms prepared for you in the dormitory area. Anyone intentionally falling asleep elsewhere will be punished.  
4. You may investigate the school as you please. There are no special restrictions on your actions.  
5. No violence is permitted against the school's headmaster, Monokuma. Destruction of the surveillance cameras is forbidden.  
6. A "culprit" who kills a fellow student will graduate the school. However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit.  
7. Additional rules may be added by the school at any time.

Karkat threw his card on the ground and stomped on it, once again losing the battle with rage. The object remained unharmed just like Monokuma said it would. He regretfully picked it back up with a sigh.

He wandered around aimlessly, pulling on steel panels and searching for any door leading to the outside. In his traveling, he discovered that the stairs were all blocked off with gates. He shook the barriers, but they didn't budge. After poking his nose in a room full of washing machines he found a hallway full of doors. Each door had a pixelated drawing of each student on it, along with their name.

Karkat's was about halfway down the hall, and he hesitated before pushing it open.

On first glance, it appeared to be a perfectly generic room. There was a bed, a desk, a security camera, another door, and a key. When Karkat tried the key in his front door, it turned the lock shut.

The door to the bathroom opened with ease, letting Karkat into the small space. The door didn't have a lock, but since he didn't have to share the bathroom it didn't really matter.

After closing the bathroom door, Karkat rifled through the desk drawers. The only thing in them was a small tool kit, one of rather pathetic proportions. He dropped back in the drawer and slammed it shut before sitting down on the bed.

Why did he decide to come to this school again? Oh yeah, for his future. Ha. Ha ha. What a joke.

Karkat was drawn out of his thoughts by someone knocking on his door insistently. He forced himself to stand up and answer it, but he did so with an air of caution. Karkat only pulled the door open to a crack, but opened it all the way once he saw who it was.

"Are you alright?" Aradia stood with her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly with a concerned expression on her face.

"Yeah." Karkat grumbled, gesturing for her to come inside. "I just can't believe this shit."

"I'm having a hard time with it myself." She took her hat off and spun it in her hands. "But a few of the others came up with a plan."

"Their plan is stupid."

"You haven't even heard it yet."

"I don't need to."

"Just listen for a minute. They're going to do a thorough investigation of the building today, and could really use your help. They've already started searching, and are going to meet up in the cafeteria in a few hours."

"I was right." Karkat collapsed onto his bed. "That's stupid." He waved one hand around. "Besides, I already did that."

"Then you can tell them what you found." Aradia put her hat back on, straightening it to the perfect angle. Figuring the conversation was over; she turned to leave the room.

"Wait." Karkat stood back up, stopping her with one outstretched hand. She turned back to face him, and his cheeks suddenly felt far too warm. "I-It's been a long time, how have you been?"

"Well, up until today I was doing pretty well." Aradia chuckled bitterly. "I found some dinosaur fossils last year, which are actually a pretty big find. What about you Karkat? How have things been going?"

"Well, you know, went to a shitty school, got invited to this murderous fuck house, so same as it's always been." He scoffed, kicking the air once.

Aradia turned away again. "I'm sorry to hear that." She opened the door, stepping halfway through it. "See you around." She pulled the door shut behind her, leaving Karkat alone with his thoughts once again. He only stayed in the room for a couple more minutes before heading out into the hallway. A few students were mingling about, but Aradia was gone.

"Hey there shouty." Somehow, Feferi actually was pleased to see him. Eridan and Kanaya stood near her, examining the walls and doors.

"Hi." Karkat responded slowly, walking over to the trio. "What, um, are you guys doing?"

"Wwe're searching for a wway out, of course." Eridan huffed, pointing one finger in Karkat's direction. "Much more than wwhat you're doing."

"In his defense, we have not been searching for long." Kanaya pointed out, staring straight at one of the security cameras.

"Wwell yeah, but he still shouldn't hawe run off like that"

"It's alright Eridan, as long as he's helping now." Feferi grabbed Karkat by both hands, pulling him in close. "Right?"

"Fine." Karkat squirmed to try to regain his personal bubble, managing to remove his hands from her tight grasp. "But I don't think this hallway holds the answers." He tapped one of the walls, noting the hollow sound it made. "So I'm going to search elsewhere."

"Alright, we'll see you later at the cafeteria." Feferi waved as Karkat walked away; ignoring Eridan's protests that leaving wasn't actually contributing.

Just down the hall from the dorms was the trash room. A gate blocked most of the room, leaving only a small space in front of the entrance for anybody without a key. Karkat tried his room key, but it didn't work. Past the gate, he could see an incinerator and a giant trash pit.

One room over was the laundry room he found earlier, though now it was occupied by a few fellow students. Jade and Dave were looking inside all the washing machines, checking each one for something. Karkat didn't know what they expected to find; probably a place to store their desperation.

"Karkat!" It took Jade a couple minutes to notice him, and she sounded surprised when she did. "Are you helping search now?"

"I guess." Karkat shrugged, picking up the lid on one of the washing machines. "Though I haven't had any luck so far."

"So much for super high school level good luck." Dave scoffed, shutting one of the machines with unnecessary vigor.

"Fuck luck."

"Don't be like that." Jade smiled at the pair, undeterred by the despair permeating the room. "Maybe your luck will kick back in; you just have to keep trying." Despite Karkat's adamant hatred of all his new classmates, she didn't seem so bad.

"Thanks, but I doubt it." He took one last look at the washing machines before vacating the room, taking a little bit of Jade's warmth with him. After leaving the laundry room, he passed by a room with caution tape spread over the entrance way. It looked like some kind of strange Japanese bathhouse, but Karkat had never seen one before so he really had no idea. He barely gave it a glance as he walked by. Across the hall was the cafeteria, which Karkat put off going to until later.

After moving through a passage way, Karkat found the classrooms he woke up in earlier. One was empty, but the other was occupied by a few of his new acquaintances. John, Rose, and Vriska all lingered around the room, looking under the desks and checking the windows. Karkat joined them in their search, sitting underneath a desk and looking up at the bottom. It was peppered with chewed gum, and he recoiled away instantly.

John laughed at Karkat's reaction, but stopped when Karkat glared at him. "Sorry man, just having a bit of fun."

"Screw you."

"Feeling a bit tense?" Rose asked, a small smile on her lips.

"Whatever." Karkat scoffed and stood up and away from the offensive desk. "I don't need this crap." He stalked towards the door, not looking back to watch Vriska laugh. Her laugh carried through the walls; he could still hear it as he walked down the hallway and he couldn't get it out of his head.

Near the classrooms was another locked door which Karkat was unable to open.

Around the bend from that locked door stood a room Karkat hadn't been in yet. It turned out to be an AV room, containing rows of screens and other electronic devices. Terezi, Sollux, and Aradia mingled among the monitors.

"Hey Karkat." Terezi smiled at him with a few too many teeth. Any worry she might have felt about their situation hid easily behind that grin.

"Hey." Karkat poked one of the screens. "What are these things even for?"

"They are computer monitors, though they can also be hooked up to other devices as well." Sollux was trying to turn on the monitor, but without a computer hooked up he had no such luck. "I'm still not sure why they're here though."

"Great, another fucking mystery."

"Maybe there used to be computers, but whoever locked us in here took them?" Aradia offered, though it sounded more like a question than an assertion.

"That seems likely." Terezi whacked her cane on top of one monitor. "If we had a computer, then we could connect with the outside world. But there is nothing we can do with just these monitors."

Karkat resisted the urge to knock one of the screens off its stand. "Damn them." He nudged it instead, causing it to wobble back and forth. "I'm gonna keep looking around, see you later."

"Later." Aradia waved as he left. Terezi looked thoughtful, as if she wanted to ask a question. Karkat didn't give her the chance, closing the door behind him with more force than necessary.

The next place Karkat looked into was the school store, but he didn't have any money so he couldn't buy anything. Nobody was there to tease him about it; so at least that was a relief.

Across from the store was the entrance hall. It looked different without any natural light flowing through it, a phenomenon originating from the giant steel barrier blocking the main entrance. Equius and Nepeta stood in front of the door, doing their best to break it down. Equius punched it every few seconds, undeterred by his lack of progress. Each impact echoed around the large space, sounding similar to a bass drum. Nepeta watched on worriedly.

"You should stop." She said after a few more attempts. "You're hurting your hand."

"We must escape." Equius insisted, not hesitating in his strikes. A few drop of blood oozed from his cracked knuckles, and Nepeta laid one hand on his wrist.

"Please."

"She's right you know." Karkat sidled up to the pair, getting a closer look at the offending knuckles. The entire front of the fingers were bruised over, and the skin was starting to crack. "I know there's an infirmary around here somewhere, you should go bandage that."

"Yeah!" Nepeta perked up, looping both of her arms around one of Equius's. "Thanks Karkat!" She dragged the muscular teen away, and though he was strong enough to stop her dead in her tracks, he didn't resist her pull. After they vanished into the infirmary, Karkat decided not to try punching in the door himself.

* * *

End Note: Thanks for reading. Guesses as to deaths and murderers are always welcome, but I probably won't tell you if you're right or not.


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